Just as I was approaching the New Year I felt a combination of feelings that ranged from excitement to overwhelm!
This past year has been full of many developments; including an expanded professional network, new collaboration partners and a clearer vision for the work I do. This in turn has brought about a sense of excitement and a desire to build a bigger structure and stronger foundation to support it.
While I am dedicated to making that happen, I also felt a surge of overwhelm as I began to consider; what area to start on first, who to call upon for technical skills and how to prioritize it all?
Sound Advice
As I shared my situation with a friend, who is also an entrepreneur in the wellness field, and mentioned some of my ideas and the approaches I was considering taking, she listened intently.
It was nice to say it out loud to help process my thinking. Ironically though, I also began to realize that I had even more to consider than I initially thought!
Thankfully, before too much more confusion set in, she shared a very useful insight that provided a great deal of clarification and relief for me…
Something that may be useful to you as well, as you move further into your new year.
She told me that before she begins a new year, she takes time to get clear on what the “theme” of it will be.
This theme represents the values and motivation behind what she wants to create for herself and her business. And it becomes a guiding light that sheds clarity on determining what direction to take, how to prioritize, and whether or not certain ideas or opportunities are in alignment.
This immediately resonated with me because my business is an extension of my personal interests and life path, so operating it according to my values has always been my top priority. It’s what keeps me motivated!
Very soon I began to recognize what my theme for the year ahead was going to be, and by becoming cognizant of it, I have relaxed into a greater ease and flow as I feel held and supported by this clarity.
Remember to Stop and Listen to Yourself
My feelings reminded me of a time a week and a half just before the end of summer a few years ago, that I didn’t feel so great. And I didn’t know why. I love summer, so not bounding out of bed to embrace all that Vitamin D is unlike me.
One morning I could barely get myself out of bed. Over the course of several days I began to experience neck, shoulder and back pain. I could not understand what had caused it?
Initially, I figured some stretching and warm baths would remedy the situation, but that didn’t work. So I began using heat rub and taking natural remedies, but the discomfort continued. I turned to Advil, but that option only provided temporary relief.
Finally, I decided to pause and take some time to really ‘listen’ to what my body was trying to tell me.
That was when I realized that I had been gearing up for a busy fall season on mental autopilot. I hadn’t been taking time to really tune in and reconnect with my inner motivation. My body knew better and was trying to get my attention.
Our brain is neurologically wired throughout our entire system. Just listening to our mental thoughts, is deriving information solely from the ‘neck up’ – like the tip of the iceberg. But there is more to us than that!
Our gut and heart contain many neurons as well. There are more signals going upward from those areas to the brain than the other way around.
Gut instincts and heart wisdom are real things.
Clear Intentions
My dear friend and mentor, Dr. Paul Dennison, pioneer in applied brain research and the founder of Brain Gym® and Educational Kinesiology, assists people of all ages worldwide in turning their learning and life challenges into successes.
According to his many decades of hands on experience and research, he has come to the conclusion that when a person wants to make a change or improvement in their life, the more clear they are on the intention behind their goal, the easier it will be for them to achieve it.
This requires not just listening to their mind and the logistics of the situation; it also requires listening to their body, their breath, their feelings, and sensations, to get a fuller and more accurate picture.
Most people have ideas of goals they would like to achieve however, assisting them in getting clear about the motivation behind it, is where the engine will turn on, any fog will dissipate and the action steps will become clearer.
So at this point, you may be wondering what MY WHY is?
Well the answer to that is COMMUNITY – in both my personal and professional life. Over the course of the upcoming months, and year ahead, I think you will see how MY WHY is shining through.
I’d like to hear about yours and support you in it being your guiding light for 2019.
Happy New Year!
Jill