First, another huge wave of care coming your way!

Collectively, we feel poised for an unpredictable and difficult short-term future - even it is also certain to be threaded with love, resilience, courage, and the potentiality for transformative good.

I've actually been a bit ill myself this week (my doctor assesses probable and mild Covid19!) and - like most of you, no doubt - my family and I have been adjusting to quite radically altered new rhythms and routines on the home front.

Wow, this historic moment on the planet!

First of all, sending you a huge whoosh of care and a massive virtual hug.

Many of you are probably already taking measures to support 'social distancing' and cancelling everything as a prevention tool to help our health care systems, providers, and communities in the coming months - especially the most vulnerable to Covid19.

Today is the last day I’m sharing a written blog post with you.

This is because change lies ahead and (drum roll, please)…..

I’m starting a podcast in March!

The transition to the new medium starts now.

I’ve been dreaming about this new venture for months and can’t quite believe I’m really turning it into a reality: I’ve hired a podcast editor, set a launch date, ordered my recording gear and started brainstorming names.

This past New Year’s Eve, I lay awake in my parent-in-laws’ home around eleven at night, beside my young, sleeping children, unable to settle.

I waited for my partner, Dan, to come to bed, then told him I was feeling existential angst (Happy New Year’s, honey!) ;) and asked if we could talk, so that I could (hopefully) soothe my rattled nervous system.

I launched into my fears and contemplations on the very cusp of 2020: 

I was going to write you a post all about the coming decade for humanity - and your role in it. (Yeah, I was going to start on that light note! ;))

But I’m pushing that theme ahead by another couple of weeks and instead kicking off with a couple of questions for you:

• As we embark on 2020, do you feel full of pep and vigor, ready to dive into the year?

• Is your inner landscape like a fresh clean slate: you’re poised and eager for change?

If you’re saying, ‘Yes! Yes! That’s me!’ I send the angels singing on high to bless your aspirations and send out a whoop and cheer as you step forward into your year. 

However, feel free to stop reading: this post isn’t for you. 

Onwards with your energetic bad self and I can’t wait to see what you create in 2020! :)

It’s that time when many will begin to anticipate 2024 and start churning out furious new goals.

 Learn why I’ve ditched resolutions and believe in the power of a Year-End Review… I’ll share my favourite tools and tips with you to protect space for silence, stillness and reflection.

Are you feeling grounded, calm, joyful?

Or does a scramble of exhaustion, stress or overwhelm sound more like it?

Perhaps you’re very much a mixed bag of various states and emotions.

Read on to nurture your best possible December…

Finally, here in Part III, I want you to offer the idea that when you cultivate the courage to innovate new possibilities and let go of the status quo in the scope of your personal life you may be building a crucial capacity to contribute to the collective.

That is, a lot of what I coach and write about is designed to help individuals experience as much peace, joy, and wellbeing as possible - and I profoundly believe that each human being radiates their state of consciousness (through thoughts, emotions, words, and actions) into their sphere of influence in our shared world.

I worried. Oh my god, am I throwing money into a vortex? Am I getting caught in fantasies and sucked into programs that aren’t actually going to get me new results? Am I avoiding simply doing the work, endlessly seeking guidance and hand-holding? What’s wrong with me? Am I getting dependant on others when I should be able to buck up and execute on my own?

I won’t pretend I didn’t freak out a bit after I purchased my first coaching program!

That did happen.

But thank god I stayed the course.

Stepping up in this way was a game-changer moment for me: I finally committed my time, my money, and my wholehearted intentionality to the path I had yearned to walk for years: it was a highly meaningful moment of finally going all in on my dream.

One time a couple came in for a ‘3-hour power coaching session’ with me - let’s call them Simon and Alethia - and I witnessed them pull off a massive turnaround in record time
When Simon and Alethia showed up to see me they had been dreaming of moving out of a big city and into a smaller, rural setting for no less than five years!

They were worn down by constantly thinking about this goal but never taking action on it - truly tired of having variations on the same conversation for years, feeling immobilized and endlessly ‘ping-ponging’ between wanting to go for their dream but feeling too afraid to do so.

In an intense and lengthy conversation, we covered many bases: we explored each individual’s fears and reservations as well as their hopes and dreams when they contemplated staying in their current home or lifting up their roots and transplanting to a new community. 

The insights we unearthed were important and helpful but I believe the biggest catalyst that enabled this couple find the courage to finally make a decision and commit to it was to take an essential question that they had been pondering for five years and to turn it on its head.

So, what was that question?!

When you’re at a crossroads and don’t feel clear on which way to go, have you ever found yourself spontaneously requesting advice from others?

Maybe it’s a low-stakes decision: you’re hemming and hawing at the restaurant and ask the serving staff which dish they recommend or survey your friends as to which movie you should check out on the weekend. 

But sometimes, even when the stakes are high and the consequences life altering - 

• Do I want to stay or go in my marriage?

• Is it time to let go of this career path and start moving in a new direction?

• Do I keep hunkering down in the big city or move to a smaller community?

sometimes it’s at these moments you find yourself taking frequent polls of your network to gain insight into what you ‘should’ do.

Maybe you can relate:

So often, when we begin to translate our fantasies and longings into reality, we expect that it’s going to feel so dang amazing:

How liberating this experience will be! How Joyful! How Exciting! 

We’ll be so relieved to finally start to creating or exploring The Long-Awaited Thing!

Our minds and hearts will be expanded! 

We’ll surely feel aligned, purposeful, and inspired! 

In short: we’re ready to feel all the good feels we’ve put off for way too long.

Do you sometimes feel busy, overwhelmed, or scattered?

Could your time and attention could be better aligned with your priorities?

If you’re thinking, “Hell, what even ARE my priorities?!,” you’re not alone! Please read on. ;) 

Have some of the habits that serve you well fallen to the wayside?

Or, let’s face it, maybe they’ve never been established in the first place?! ;)

Are you ready to feel more centred and ‘in charge’ of your day-to-day life?

It might be time for you to create some anchors.

Do you fantasize about life without your current problems and imagine how great things could be once you’ve got solutions for the stuff that’s stressing you out or getting you down? 

I’m so sick of this job: I can’t wait until I’m in my ‘dream’ career path!

It’s gonna be awesome to get out of this depleting marriage and be with a compatible partner.

Everything will be easier once I’m out of debt and earning more.

Most of us dream and project ourselves into fantasy futures where things are and feel better - and sometimes, when conditions shift, life really does feel easier or more pleasurable. 

So, what does a pivot look like, exactly?

How do we know when a pivot is the wise path to take (and not just letting ourselves off the hook when the going gets tough?)

How can one pivot with grace and also take care of the parts of ourselves experiencing a discomforting sense of loss, disappointment, or failure?

Do you ever find yourself putting off a task that would release you from a bottleneck and actually get you moving forward?

Do you procrastinate on tackling something that may not feel great in the moment - even though it’s crucial to get it done?

Do you sometimes avoid a project that scares you?

Probably.

I mean, you’re human!

The other day, one of my coaching clients - let’s call her Rae - told me a painful and familiar story, one that I’ve heard versions of from many people I work with.

Rae is mama to a young child and she also wants to be a visual artist. With support and encouragement, she recently got some childcare in place, began researching art classes and places to exhibit her work, and having inspiring conversations with established creatives who weave together their artistic and family lives.

Do you have an important goal, project or task that you keep putting off, avoiding, or that just mysteriously 'never happens?'

Maybe your taxes are backlogged.

Perhaps you’ve been meaning to declutter your closet for ages.

Do you have a creative dream that you haven’t honored with a shred of committed action or a gym outfit and runners that have gone unworn for months, despite all your best intentions?

I feel you!

How do you connect with your inner wisdom during the din of daily life?

Coaching clients often show up feeling disconnected from themselves, in subtle or significant ways. One woman explained, “I know this may sound weird, but I feel out of touch with myself.”

Other people comment, “things are ok, good even… but something’s not quite right in my (life/marriage/job/home/etc…), and I want to figure out what that is.”