What are you doing for YOU today?

I've lived a whirlwind of exciting travel the since mid-January, and I am deeply grateful for the amazing experiences I have enjoyed.

Living in Paris, then attending a life-changing retreat in Texas, and now spending time in Arizona, I have seen heart-stopping art, been in gorgeous urban and natural environments, shared time with people precious to me, and eaten wonderful food.

For most of these weeks I sustained a “normal” work schedule, coaching clients, speaking virtually, and attending meetings on Zoom.

I have also made art with a limited set of materials that I could carry with me, and have enjoyed quite a few surprises as I created in new ways.

And now, I am (finally) slowing down to give myself the gift of rest.

We are humans, not machines

My natural inclination is to be in motion, to do.

I have an abundance of ideas. There is so much that excites me. I love my work and love connecting to new people.

And paradoxically, one of the big messages I share in my speaking appearances and writing is that we need to slow down and be still. I teach that that ability and practice is the foundation of Living Big!

“Slow Down and Be Still” is the title of the first chapter of my book, and the entire first half of the book is about the being of Living Big! Of course, there is a natural rhythm for being and doing, it’s just that I often am out of balance. And I know I am not alone.

To quote myself, we are human beings, but we spend too much time doing and not enough time being.

And even machines need down-time, and routine maintenance!

We need to return to the basics, over and over

In conversations I have had recently, a number of women have shared that their crushing schedules and pressures at work have led to burnout.

A big contributor is that many women put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own.

I am not pushing as hard as I have in the past, but I have slipped, bit by bit, into too much doing without adequately focusing on my wellbeing.

I have reminded myself that “we teach what we need to learn.” For me, it is time to get back to the fundamentals.

Small ideas for slowing things down

The key for me, and for most women, is to start making really tiny shifts. We often underestimate the impact of making small consistent changes.

You may want to pick from these ideas and see what happens.

1. Make a bedtime shift

Many women tell me they stay up late and are exhausted in the morning. Why not adjust your evening routine and go to bed 10 or 15 minutes earlier? After a few days or a week, you may try for another 15 minutes earlier.

2. A little movement works wonders

Set a reminder on your phone to go off at least once an hour. Turn away from your computer and sit and breathe for 2 minutes. (Setting the timer for two minutes will allow you just relax and breathe!) Then stand up and stretch for another minute or two. 

3. Fresh air is a game-changer

So many people spend their days inside buildings and cars. Get outside and walk at least once each day! It can be to the corner and back, a spin around the block, a walk to a lunch spot you usually drive to, following on a path in a nearby park, or walking down a city street.

4. Create more “white space”

If you look at a magazine layout, the page is sure to have margins that designers have created to make the page easy and pleasurable to ready. Nobody wants to read a page crammed with solid text! That “white space” is important in life, too. Look at your calendar and create some “white space” for yourself this week and looking ahead. What have you said “yes” to that you can you skip? What can be delegated to someone else? What can be deferred?

5. Schedule something just for you

Look at your calendar and schedule in time (anywhere from an hour to a day!) for something that will make you happy! Who might you play with? What might you explore? What will light you up? What will make you feel great? 

6. There are endless possibilities!

If nothing on this list especially sparks your spirit, or you want to do more for yourself, think about something small that will do it for you. It could be eating a fresh salad with flavors you love, or getting tickets for the theater, or making a call to someone you miss. Find something that is just for you that you can make space for now.

It is important to be mindful about these practices!

If you see the busy creeping back in, return to the awareness of how you are living — and see if you can expand on these new ways of making space for yourself and your wellbeing!

The changes I am making now

I have one more week in Arizona before returning home. I am slowing down and it feels wonderful.

I have a bit of work on my schedule this week, but I have planned to do far less than usual.

I started getting more sleep.

I now start my day listening to music I love, rather than the news.

I am walking in nature every day.

I am making time to write from the heart.

I have set things up to be able to play and make art with ease. (While my new creative experiments are not yet posted, you can take a look at my artist website here.) 

And I am firmly committed to sustaining my focus on slowing down and being intentional about my schedule when I return home next week!

If you want to share your favorite small self-care tips — or you want to share your struggles to slow down — I invite you to email me, or book a call and we can talk.

The lesson I learned again—that you may want to tune into

2023 did not begin as I had expected.

I was looking forward to the fresh new year, and living with my newly-set intention to amplify many things in my life (which you may have seen in the post I sent last week, when I shared my carefully-chosen word for the year).

A big part of my intention was — and is — to amplify devotion to the wellbeing of my body. And tucked neatly into that intention was slowing down.

If you have read my book, or heard me speak, you know that the first chapter of my book is Slow Down and Be Still. I made that the first chapter intuitively. As time has passed I have come to understand that slowing down is the foundation for living big.

So, you would think I have that down.

But living that principle, consciously slowing down, has been a challenge for me. It’s something I need to return to time and again. This past year I pushed myself harder than was healthy, and so tucked tidily into my word of the year was a clear intention to slow down and give my physical wellbeing the reverence it deserves.

And when I awoke on January 1, ready to step over the threshold of a fresh new year, I was sick. Sick with COVID.

After 2 years and 10 months of vigilance, vaxed and boosted and cautiously wearing a mask every time I was out of my home, a highly-contagious variant snuck past my defenses.

I’ve had no choice but to slow down!

While the symptoms have been managed well with medicines on hand, I slept through the first 4 days, and have continued to be enormously tired.

 It feels as though the universe stepped in on day 1 of the new year to test my commitment to slowing down!

And a part of me feels grateful. 

I have proof now. It is possible to slow down and take care of my body. There are people who can help me in all sorts of ways. I feel sure I am doing as well as I am because I did not push myself or do too much. And I am deeply committed to honoring what my body needs.

The timing was also “perfect,” or as close to perfect as it could be.

Because I’d made plans to travel on January 17 — to Paris! My husband and I will live in Paris for a month, and we have been looking forward to the adventure for some time.

I am grateful that we have plenty of time to fully recover (yes, he came down with COVID two days after I did), and prepare for the trip without pushing ourselves.

In the long-run, the imposed “pause” of this illness will be only a small blip on a year filled with experiences to be savored and expansion of our hearts.

I invite you consider how you can slow down and live into your commitments to yourself for 2023, whatever they are.

And while I will be away, I will not be out of touch.

Look for my weekly emails and blog posts (photos of Paris are sure to be sprinkled in!). I will be working with clients, doing some remote speaking, and will make creating a regular part of my life — all at reduced intensity. After all, there’s an amazing city I am eager to explore and enjoy.

With love and wishes for you to have a joyous, healthy new year.

Are you ready to stop struggling?

You have likely heard the Buddhist quote, “Suffering is optional.”

I noticed it coming up in different contexts lately. And when things show up with frequency like that, it is a sign for me to pay attention.

Most of us hold on to hurt, resentment and anger

I don’t know about you, but in the past it was a challenge for me to “let go” when things happened that felt unfair or unjust.

It was easy to stew in the emotion, to turn it over and over in my mind, and to talk about it at length with others — which often fomented more upsetting emotion about the issue.

This went far beyond processing and evaluating.

More often than not, upsetting thoughts about the matter at hand grew and festered, often leading to distraction, stress and poor sleep.

After decades of suffering in this way when such issues arose, I found it was possible to approach things differently.

“Don’t let it land”

This sage advice was offered to me by my husband years ago, when someone said something to me that felt deeply hurtful.

I have no recollection of the offending remark, but I never forgot the concept he suggested I adopt.

However, I was a slow learner.

I found it difficult to let the hurt roll off, to not “land” and get lodged in my thoughts.

Fortunately, with much practice, my ability to keep things from landing has improved. I am grateful to have been gifted this sage concept.

And not long ago I was offered yet another juicy bit of wisdom that I am glad to share with you.

You can drop the rope

When we are in a struggle — with someone else, and even within ourselves — there’s a lot of tension.

That tension usually involves tugging. Think of the tug of war games we all played at camp, or outings in the park. Can you recall how much effort you expended?

What if, instead of the pulling and tugging and huffing and puffing, you chose to drop the rope and stop?

While the back and forth struggles we tend to engage in as we try to defend a position, make a case, convince someone, and even beg for reasonableness can sometimes lead to something more positive, there are many times when that is not the result.

We sink deeper into pain, frustration, and even alienation from the other party.

And who do we hurt the most?

Ourselves.

That is when we can choose something else — to simply drop the rope.

By letting it go, we spare ourselves. And the other party often looses interest, if (as can be the case) they no longer get the satisfaction of provoking you.

When I have made the choice to drop the rope, I have felt remarkably liberated.

We get to choose

We often have to endure things that are not as we wish, or deal with pain. How much we suffer, however, is within our control.

Why not choose your own peace of mind and wellbeing?

Why not choose to stop tolerating things that you are able to be free of?

When we make intentional choices like these, we have agency in our lives. We create a new and better way to move through our lives.

See what I did there? I shared a small but meaningful way you can create the bigger, happier life you desire.

Something worth celebrating that you may be skipping

We just ended a weekend when we celebrated Father’s Day and Juneteenth.

While these are two distinct focal points of celebration, I think and talk a lot about the importance of celebration in our lives.

Why?

When we celebrate we take the time to pay attention.

We focus on people, events or things that are positive.

And as we honor or venerate the person, event, or other focal point of the celebration, we lift our own spirits.

This creates positive energy, and when filled with positive energy we are able to generate more of it.

Celebration is a multifaceted gift we can give to both others and ourselves!

Let’s explore some specific kinds of celebration

Father’s Day

Honoring a parent is sacred. While this day can bring on a range of emotions, the essence of the holiday is beautiful. For many it is a day of joy, as they bestow love on fathers, grandfathers, grown children who are now fathers, fathers now gone, and father-figures. When we bring our focus to them, we are often able to see them with new and clearer perspective.

Juneteenth

This holiday provides us with a markedly different experience of celebration. We commemorate the true story of freedom from enslavement, about which, sadly, many people have been unaware until recently. While it is special to celebrate this meaningful event, the sacred celebration also opens our hearts. It inspires us to learn more, and to work together for true freedom.

Life events — birthdays, anniversaries, graduations

These celebrations pop up throughout the year and sprinkle delight into our lives. Marking the passage of time and major life milestones is often moving. We sit back, reflect, gain perspective, and have special opportunities to have fun with people we love. While there can be bittersweet moments, these celebrations are often full of happiness — and who does not want more happiness in their lives?

Personal triumphs (even the small ones!)

This is the category that many of us fail to fully embrace. One of my missions is to teach people the importance of celebrating ourselves!

When you give yourself a “Yay Me” for something small (like reaching out to someone new or sticking with a positive habit), to something big (like getting a promotion), you show yourself love. These are expressions of self-love.

(Here’s a list of articles related to self-love that I have written. This one specifically talks about “Yay Me’s”.)

And when you practice self-love you give yourself a small hit of dopamine — a neurotransmitter that boosts the “reward center” in your brain. This chemical reaction is surprisingly potent and makes you feel wonderful.

So why don’t we give ourselves “Yay Me’s” more often?

Most of us minimize our accomplishments. We fail to acknowledge and celebrate ourselves, often looking for external validation. And even when others do praise us, many of us find it hard to receive the praise.

Let’s change that starting today!

Take the celebration challenge!

I have cultivated a “Yay Me“ practice, and I encourage my clients to build them. I invite you to join us.

Last week I was able to give myself a few important “Yay Me’s”.

I spoke live at a wonderful conference and I enrolled brilliant clients. Those are can’t miss events, and hard to minimize.

I am especially proud that I also celebrated myself for things I would have let slip by unacknowledged before I was so aware of their importance.

For instance, I skipped a gathering I was looking forward to attending to give myself extra rest after a few days of tiring travel and early starts. My body was so grateful I made that choice, and the “Yay Me” I gave myself was the icing on the cake.

How many “Yay Me’s” can you give yourself today?

Can you give yourself at least one “Yay Me” each day for the next week? The next month?

Maybe you’ll start keeping a “Yay Me” journal, or create a record on your phone to track them!

Please share your progress, and your specific “Yay Me’s” if you wish. I’d also love to know how it feels to declare them.

And if you want to share your vision for life filled with more “Yay Me’s” and your questions about how to create it, email me and we can make a date to talk.

Until next week, stay safe and well, and create your life with joy.

What to do when life feels out of control

Most accomplished women find that they have over-committed themselves at one time or another.

It can happen because of big demands at work, big family demands, or voluntarily taking on something big and important in addition to ongoing work and personal responsibilities.

And sometimes life happens, and things pile up despite our best efforts to keep things sane.

At other times we feel called to take on that big extra something knowing it will be demanding, because it is so important to us.

One of my clients shared that she found herself in a situation like that this week, and I recalled having been there myself.

The “extra” commitment she knowingly took on was urgent and it meant a lot to her. And then it ballooned into something even bigger, demanding even more time and energy.

The stress and exhaustion she described took me back to times I thought I would burst at the seams trying to manage way too much. I wish I had known then what I know today.

What happens when you are in over your head

In addition to witnessing stress and exhaustion, I saw that my client, a brilliant woman, felt trapped. She felt trapped by the pressure and was not able to see a way out.

A toxic combination like that can be overwhelming, and in that state it is hard to think clearly. It is also hard to make decisions that are in your best interest.

This is a form of burnout.

We think of burnout as a long-term issue that takes a big toll. But short-term periods of high stress are not to be ignored. They, too, take a significant toll.

3 steps to take when you feel overwhelmed

The first thing to go out the window when in the midst of very high stress is your ability to find your center and take care of yourself. Knowing how to find release from crushing stress is crucial.

Try these 3 ways to ground yourself:

1. Your breath is your ally

Of course we all breathe all the time. But the way you breathe can have a remarkable impact.

When stressed, you are likely to take shallow breaths as you plow through tasks.

This is the time to pause, shut the office door or find a spot to get quiet, and slowly breathe with intention. You might put your hands on your heart as you breathe deeply, filling your belly. Then exhale even more slowly. Pause and repeat.

After breathing quietly and slowly for a couple of minutes you will find yourself feeling more grounded, centered and present.

As your system quiets, you can also connect to your body, feel fully into your heart, and calmly tune into your thoughts.

2. Turn your attention to self-care

With newfound calm, you will likely be able to appreciate that some things must wait, as you consider what you need most to take care of yourself.

Maybe you need healthy food to fuel your body. Maybe you need to get out for some fresh air and movement, or get to bed and catch up on your sleep.

Ask yourself what your body needs and what will fuel your spirit.

If you run yourself ragged, you will do no good for anyone else, and the projects you are trying to work on will suffer.

Ultimately the outcomes will be better if you are fresher when you return to the demands that you had been exhausting yourself to focus on.

3. Leverage the efforts of others

Ask others for help and support! Seek out friendship, moral support and practical help.

Look to delegate as much as you can — even if you believe you would “do it better” than others might.

And here are some related ideas to consider.

Think about whether parts of the effort can be postponed. Are the deadlines really set in stone?

Maybe you can drop some of what you have been focused on. Does all of it have to be done?

Think about as many ways to lighten your load as you can.

Ward off potential overwhelm early

The best part of having moved through a tough period such as this, and having experienced positive results using some or all of the techniques noted above, is that you will be better able to recognize the warning signs of impending overwhelm in the future.

I am happy to say that my client took time to give herself the space and care she needed to look at the situation with fresh eyes. She has updated her plan for moving ahead. While she knows challenges still lie ahead, she has a sharper perspective and is feeling better.

And she will be less likely to find herself caught off-guard in the future.

Ideally, you, too, can be alert and make choices and decisions that will prevent you from finding yourself in the midst of major overwhelm.

Of course, there may well be times that something huge appears in your life, that must be dealt with. 

Knowing that you have actions to take to keep you from experiencing full-blown overwhelm, or to help you get back to equilibrium, will help.

You will know to take the first step: to slow down your breathing. From that quiet place you will be able to make your best decisions.

Stay safe and well, and create your life with joy.