Before we dive into this topic- which is a personal fave – I want to let you know a bit about what’s up for me right now. I’m in a transition with my career track. Writing those words feels and sounds SO weird to me! Because it’s more that I’m wanting to focus my time and attention on nurturing my creativity and living more as a visual artist and writer rather than as a coach, teacher and psychotherapist.
Which brings me to you and these emails which I’ve been doing weekly since 2013 (!) AND it’s time for me to rethink exactly what they look and feel like. I’m still birthing this process and so I ask for your patience as this unfolds. In the meantime, I’ve decided to give myself a bit more space and send them out every 2 weeks – at least for now- and I promise to keep you updated as things unfold.
Thanks for your understanding and love.
And here’s today’s message:
Have you ever met someone who is so majestic they take your breath away? You have one of those deep conversations or experiences with them, and you feel impacted, maybe even transformed?
And then, sometime later, you discover that they struggle with keeping a job, or fighting with roommates, or…
In other words, there’s an imbalance. In some areas of their life, their insight and perception are profound while in others there appears a form of avoidance or neglect.
If we’re honest, this is true for all of us. There are some aspects of being human that come easily, and are even fun, while other areas are more of a challenge. And this formula is unique to each of us.
Sometimes I see us – the body- as a house. There are rooms that are completely decorated and occupied, places we easily and happily inhabit. And then there are other rooms. Some might be dusty with neglect. Others are padlocked.
The invitation here is to move into these spaces we’ve avoided.
It’s another way to stretch ourselves.
It can feel daunting, sometimes even a bit scary and yet, it is only by bringing light to these spaces that healing can occur.
How about for you?
Let’s do an inventory.
What are the areas in your life that you find easy and enjoyable to occupy?
You can think about:
Self-care
Exercise
Eating
Money management
Job/career
Relationships – friends, family, romantic interests
Introspection
Creativity
Education
Spirituality
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something…
The idea with this is to first explore all of the areas in your life that you feel you’re thriving in.
Acknowledge all the good, the progress, the wins!
Once you’ve done that inventory, the next bit is to be HONEST about which areas you actively avoid, we ALL do it.
The idea here is not to overwhelm your system. It’s to recognize the places in you / in your life where you’ve been avoidant.
Choose one area to start.
How can you open the door? What might be a first step?
I have a friend who really wants to do more creative projects but finds herself hampered when she starts doing them on her own. So, what did she do? She reached out and asked for help. Someone she could do projects alongside, like parallel play. But first she had to admit that the reluctance was real for her.
Maybe it’s a phone call you’ve been meaning to make for months. Maybe it’s setting up that retirement account. You actually know where to start.
Do it, today.
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Image courtesy of Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash