My self-love journey started with learning how to say no.
In my 20s I ran myself ragged from attempting to work a full-time job in a major city, riding my bike to get my graduate degree after work, and saying yes to every social outing and invitation.
My life was very full, and while I sometimes miss that, I was exhausted.
The exhaustion was turning into anxiety, questioning my decisions, and restlessness.
At that time in my life, a big part of practicing self-love began with saying no, to both myself and others.
Now, my life looks extremely different.
I’m married. I live in the suburbs. I have a one year old and two dogs. I work from home.
I love my life.
But one thing I’ve noticed: I could use a little more yes.
So when I watched Shonda Rhimes Ted Talk, “My Year of Saying Yes to Everything”, I began to feel my heart beat a little faster.
Here was a workaholic woman with three children who decided, for one year, to say yes to everything.
“What if I said yes to more things?” I asked myself. “What would that look and feel like?”
I already knew the answer.
It would feel like expansion. It would look like challenge. It would feel like exhilaration. It would look like growth. It would feel like desire. It would look like discipline.
My original New Year theme for 2017 was going to be homemaking and motherhood. I ditched that.
It would feel like expansion. It would look like challenge. It would feel like exhilaration. It would look like growth. It would feel like desire. It would look like discipline.
My original New Year theme for 2017 was going to be homemaking and motherhood. I ditched that.
My 2017 theme is one word: YES.
Now, I really had to give some thought to what this means. Do I really say yes to everything?
No.
It does not mean saying yes to things that don’t serve my business. It does not mean saying yes to any temptation, just because someone asks. It does not mean saying yes to anything that would be destructive to myself or my life.
You must ask yourself: Do I want to feel good, or do I want to grow?
Because growth doesn’t always feel good and feeling good doesn’t always mean growth.
I want to GROW. I want to be UNcomfortable.
This is what it could look like:
- Reading a book, stretching, or meditating at night for downtime rather than watching Netflix
- Training for the spring triathlon I want to do in July, and actually doing it
- Getting up by 6 am and starting my day before Kai wakes up
- Using my planner religiously to set goals, appointments, and daily tasks
- Writing at least 1-2x per week
- Spending undivided time with my husband
- Playing with Kai
I wrote these words on the whiteboard next to my desk, as a reminder to keep my theme for the New Year.
Next I mapped out goals and desired feelings for the year. This creates a road map for your True North. The compass in which direction you want your life to point.
Effective. Confident. Energetic. Successful. Connected. Clear-headed. Courageous. Comfortable in your skin. Free from toxic energy and habits that hold you back. Driven by your true potential to the point of realizing your dreams.
That’s what is possible for you in 2017…and so much more.
Are you curious to know about what it might look like to work with me? Click here to find out more.
Holding you in your fullest expression.
With New Year’s love,
