It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Normally this is the time of year where the holiday season kicks into full swing! We’ve had Thanksgiving and Black Friday.  In my household, the Christmas decorations have gone up.
 
Christmas parties are on the calendar.  It’s time to celebrate with our friends and family.  But this year, everything’s different.  The regular traditions you’ve always known aren’t happening.  Every day the COVID numbers go up more.  You’ve had to make hard decisions about your values.  Is it safe to spend time around all your family?  Is it safe to travel home?
 
There are so many questions and very few answers.  The one area that it seems to point back to is what do you value?  Do you value stuff over the people in your life?  Sometimes the little things can mean a lot more than you thought, like getting a homemade card or a lollipop from a child.  Those gestures can take on a different meaning, especially this year.
 
For a long time, I accumulated lots of stuff (clothes, movies, music, and books).  I would rush out on Tuesday to buy the newest release.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I was trying to fill a void with things.  Over the years I’ve been working at removing the void.  I still have stuff to get rid of, but that’s for another post.
 
2020 has forced me to examine what do I value?  I had to cut a lot of expenses that seemed like they brought me value.  And for a time, they did.  I had outgrown them and was having trouble cutting the cord.  Others, I thought things would change and I might be able to keep them while everything got sorted out.  Some hard choices have been made.
 
There are still hard choices to make.  Some get pushed back because we aren’t ready to make, others get pushed in our face until we make it.
 
You have the right to choose what you value.  You’re the only one who can make it.  It’s not an easy time for so many people in the world.  It’s easy to lose sight of what’s important.  This holiday season remember what you value.  It may look different than before but’s not any less important.
 
 What do you value this holiday season?  Let me know. Do you want to know more, click here to book a discovery session or an appointment. 

Forward March!

Have you been waiting for the energy to feel right to move forward?  This is the time to start taking action.  You’ve had the opportunity to get clarity on your plans.  You’ve been learning lessons.  You’ve even experienced some situations a couple of times now, but most of us haven’t felt like we can move forward.  There was always something that held you back.
 
All the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) are now out of retrograde.  Pluto is also moving direct again.  Only Uranus and Neptune are still in retrograde.
 
With Mars now moving direct you can start to put your plans into place.  You can make headway with all those things that you’ve been wanting to do.
 
So much of this year has felt like our lives are on pause.  COVID has put a damper on the ways that we celebrate and has changed our everyday lives.  We can’t do things the way we did.  Our holidays are going to be different.  Nothing is what it was, but we finally have the opportunity to move forward if we choose.  You have the choice.  The choice doesn’t mean that you can stall what’s happening around you, but you can decide to move forward or stay still.  I wish I could say that you can move back in time, but life doesn’t work that way.
 
Whether you move forward today, tomorrow, next week or next month doesn’t make a lot of difference, but forward momentum is good.  I know that change can feel terrifying at times.  There are big changes I’m still making in my own life.  Fear is coming to the surface.  But remember the only way to overcome fear is to face it.  You have to face it head-on for it to lose its own power.
 
So, this week face your fears and move forward in some area of your life.  Even if it seems small.
 
Where are you moving forward?  Let me know. Do you want to know more, click here to book a discovery session or an appointment.

Accept It

The world seems to be of two extremes now.  Joy or the inability to accept what’s transpired.
 
It’s easy to feel giddy when things go the way you want, but do you do when they don’t.  Things don’t always go as we’ve planned or expect.  There are days when you come up with a plan and just as the day begins your plan has gone awry.  It’s the nature of life.
 
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identifies the 5 stages of grief as: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  Getting to the acceptance phase can take time and, in some cases, might never happen. 
 
Denial.  We don’t want to hear it.  We want to hide from the world.  The idea that this can’t be happening right now.  It can’t be true.  Anger.  The pain starts to emerge.  We lash out at ourselves and those around us.  Bargaining.  The if only statements begin to appear.  We want someone else to step in.  Why couldn’t it have happened differently?  Maybe it still could.  Depression.  Sadness and regret.  Acceptance.  The stage where peace is made.  This process can happen quickly, or it may never reach completion.
 
It's ok to be upset that things didn’t work out how you wanted.  They don’t always, but it’s not ok to try and manipulate matters to meet your needs.  Give it a chance and see what happens.
 
We’re in a huge state of change in our lives.  Change is easiest when it’s the one we choose.  It’s difficult when it’s not.  It doesn’t change the reality of what’s going on.
 
What do you need to accept?  Let me know. Do you want to know more, click here to book a discovery session or an appointment.

Into the Unknown

You’re in uncharted territory right now. Don’t worry you’re not alone. Who could have predicted any of this? But let’s take it as any opportunity l. It’s any opportunity to take care of yourself while answers come.
 
So, what does that mean for you? I can give you some suggestions. Maybe stay from anything that is speculative. That could mean news, it could mean Facebook or large group gatherings (which with COVID shouldn’t be happening).
 
Try and pay attention to your body. When you start to feel anxious or overwhelmed take a step back. It’s ok to say that I can have this conversation right now and step away. We all must do what we can to stay in a good frame of mind while we wait for answers. Like anything clarity will come but it doesn’t always happen our timetable.
 
It’s not always our choice. It would be so much easier if it was. When we first step into the unknown it can bring up a variety of emotions but the most likely one is fear. Fear can paralyze you and keep you from taking the steps you must do.
 
It sounds so simple but don’t take this piece of advice for granted. Take a breath and step away. Allow yourself to recenter and come back to it later. That’s it! When we have an opportunity to reflect, we can look at a situation differently than when we’re in an emotion. Any emotion!
 
Take care of yourself during this challenging time. Life will still be waiting for you when it’s over.
 
What’s uncertain in your life right now?  Let me know. Do you want to know more, click here to book a discovery session or an appointment.

How’s that Working for You?

A new world is waiting for you, but are you too afraid to walk through the door?  It’s okay!  It’s not too late to reset what you’re doing and try something different.

A new life, a new world is starting to come through, but you have to be willing to open the door.  When you’re afraid, there’s a tendency to cling to what’s familiar.  Everybody does it, but on occasion you need to try the new and see what works.

You might think you won’t like it.  You finally break down and try it.  Think of food.  It might confirm that you don’t like it.  At least you tried and it’s not for you.  Or maybe you tried it and were wrong all those years.  You want to try more.

You’re on the precipice of great changes, but you have to be willing to try.  Trying new things can be hard and difficult, but if you don’t you could be missing out on something special.

It’s easy to kick the can down the road and try later, but what if you took the time now?  You could be that much further along in the process.

2020 has been hard and you’ve had a lot of your misconceptions thrown in your face.  But what you done about it?  Have you tried or are you still holding on?  Could it work for you or not?  It’s hard to say, but you will never know if you don’t try.

Looking at life through a new lens can be hard.  You have to unravel your life and look at it as though you had something to do with where you’ve ended up.  You can’t blame everything that’s going wrong on someone else.  Only you and you alone can try something new and see how it goes.  What’s the worst that can happen?

Your visions from your past might not align with where you’re going.  It’s okay to evolve and become a different person.  Things don’t always work out the way we expect, but they work out how they should.

What’s something new that you’re going to try?  Let me know. Do you want to know more, click here to book a discovery session or an appointment.

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