It’s Time to Pick Yourself
Hey there – how are you, really?
I ask because the first couple weeks of 2024 have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. You too?
Back in the quiet cocoon of that last week of December, I enjoyed cuddling up with my book and a blankie, feeling calm and trusting in my faith that all the good things were coming to me in 2024.
Then, like flicking on a light switch in a dark room and needing a moment to adjust your eyes – the calendar turned to January 1st.
And suddenly, I felt completely directionless.
Things I thought I knew, or had decided, seemed to be under review again.
Ideas and plans I’d felt excited about felt flat and uninspiring.
The potential partners and collaborations I’d been hoping would come through seemed to stall or fizzle out.
The confidence and trust I’d felt so securely seemed to vanish.
Cue tons of swirling, questioning and generally feeling mopey and exhausted.
So how’d I get out of it? Three things:
The first was reconnecting with community. Over a Zoom call with five other business owners, I confided in them how I was feeling. In sharing my experience with them, I felt seen, heard, and supported. And so much less alone.
(seriously, communing with our peeps makes a BIG difference!)
Second, I gave it time. THIS IS SO HARD. But also, I’ve been through enough of these ‘troughs’ to know that there’s always a way out, the clouds always pass. So I did the uncomfortable work of sitting in the ambiguity. Of waiting for clarity. Of resting. Of not working. Of NOT trying to solve this problem.
(even with years of practice, it’s still super uncomfortable. But you do get better at it over time!)
Finally, I remembered this post I wrote a while back about Gatekeepers, our agency and the power of picking myself.
In hindsight, a lot of the angst I’ve felt so far in January has been connected to waiting…
Waiting for people to decide they want to say Yes to my work or my ideas.
Waiting for people to tell me what I should do, how I should start, what I should care about.
Waiting for opportunities to come my way – rather than creating my own.
This week reminded me that no one else is responsible for ‘picking me.’
No one can make up my mind for me.
No one can care more about my decisions or plans than me.
No one can believe in me more than I do.
I have to pick me. I GET to pick me. And you do, too.
If you’re ready to pick yourself – I can help. Here are three ways we can work together this year:
The Coaching Strategy Intensive is a 4 week career accelerator that gets you unstuck and taking action – fast. I have two spots for clients in February!
The Coaching Circle is a 4 month, small group experience for women navigating questions of authenticity, purpose and fulfillment. Enrolling in February for a March start.
1:1 Private Coaching with me is a transformational, customized experience that guides you to tune into what’s most important for you at this stage of your career and life – and supports you to create it. For fun, you can upgrade for an all-inclusive VIP weekend with me! There’s one spot open for February.
If any of these sound interesting to you, I’d love to talk. Hit reply and we can set up time to explore them together!
To close, today I encourage you to pause and ask yourself:
Where am I handing over my agency to someone else?
In what ways do I abdicate my own responsibility to make my own decisions or choices?
What might it look like to pick myself instead?
Onward,
