Are you feeling the pressure?

We’re now 10 days into the New Year. Even though I don’t watch mainstream TV or news and I filter things out of my email inbox pretty well, I’m always astounded at how much pressure there is to get a jumpstart on the New Year.

Join this fit club, do this yoga challenge, sign up for this cleanse, do this “reset”, buy that planner, learn to schedule your year with this expert, get that ab sculptor, grab that deal on new exercise equipment, get a head start on your book… SHEESH!

It’s so much pressure from everyone, everywhere! So, why buy into the pressure?

Guess what: You don’t have to.

For me, winter is a season of rest, introspection, and letting myself FEEL. We’ve just come out of the holidays – which, whether you keep it simple or not, can be a lot. Where I live it is cold outside, it’s darker longer than it is light out, and it simply feels like a time to go slow.

As a result, I am simply not interested in applying pressure to this very serene, rejuvenating, cozy feeling time of pause that January represents to me. I’m not interested in participating in what so many are doing. Instead, I’m focused on what is true and right for me.

Right now, my body is very clearly saying it wants to rest. My mind is saying it wants freedom to dream and envision and try on new ideas. My heart is saying it wants time to surrender, be soft, and speak to me about what it really longs for.

Does this mean I’m just lying around doing nothing? Uh, I’m a single mama solopreneur, so the answer to that is a big fat NO.

What it means is that I am letting what feels good and fills me up with happiness lead the way.

For me, this January, this looks like:

• Going to bed early as often as possible for some extra delicious sleep
• Moving my body daily – sometimes it’s a full-on sweat fest, other days it’s Pilates or a walk
• Eating foods that make my body hum – seasonal foods, a lot of veggies, maybe a homemade cookie, a hot cup of tea, and not too much of anything
• Playing with my son, reading books, making art, doing jigsaw puzzles, listening to music, watching sunrises and sunsets, looking for magic
• Clearing out cabinets, closets and drawers – out with the old to make space for… ?
• Asking myself “What’s working right now? What isn’t?” and adjusting accordingly
• Dreaming into what I’d like to experience this year, noticing what lights me up on the inside and staying open and curious even to the ideas that seem crazy or impossible
• Regular hot mineral salt baths, homemade face masks, and self-massage with lotion/body oil
• Taking time to feel my feelings, cry if I need to, laugh on a whim, letting how I’m feeling inform me
• Raising my standards for the coming year – what have I been enduring that I no longer want to accept? What will my new criterion include? What will I no longer tolerate?

This is an invitation from me to you to release the pressure – any pressure – you might be feeling simply because it’s January and a new year has begun. You get to choreograph this year in a way that really and truly works for you – and that includes how this year begins.

If you need it, I’m giving you permission to break through the noise of what everyone else is doing, what the ads on TV are selling you, what all of the invitations in your inbox are beckoning you to do. You get to live in a way that honors your body, your energy, all of who you are and all of the dreams you hold in your heart.

This is me reminding you to tap into something deeper inside of yourself, beyond ambition and ego, where you’re being guided by something much more authentic, magical even, and true for you. You get to be successful, abundant, responsible, fulfilled AND you get to live in a way that feels light, joyful and – dare I say it? – extraordinary for you.

What I’m really talking about is giving yourself the time and space, right now, to feel into what it is you want to create this year. Let it come into form based on what makes you happy and feels good to you.

There are times and places when rushing, pushing, running and hustling are super appropriate.

But for now, wouldn’t it feel good to let go of all of the “shoulds”, all of the guilt for not getting a jump start on the year, all of the FOMO and being left behind?

Wouldn’t it feel good to take some time right now to connect with yourself and get clear on what feels good to you? To tune into what you want for this year? To know with unshakable confidence what is going to help you feel happy and fulfilled?

This is a much different approach than what you will see so many others do this January – and beyond. That’s because this approach to living your life is about being true to you.

It’s about making choices and taking action in a way that takes you closer to your truth, your dreams, your deepest desires – and away from the ideas and agendas that someone else, or the culture you live in, has for you.

You get to decide. You get to determine. You get to choose.

You already have everything you need to make 2021 an amazing year for yourself. Slow down and give yourself the opportunity to tap into the wisdom you already possess. It won’t lead you astray.

May 2021 be the year when you choose yourself – what feels good to you, what fills you up with happiness, what sustains and nourishes you, what makes you feel juicy and alive – and let go of the pressure to be something or someone you’re not.

xx

PS: If you’re looking for some inspiration for making 2021 a year when you choose yourself, grab your free copy of “The Art of Choosing Yourself” here. In it you’ll discover 12 inspiring stories from 12 incredible women who faced their fears, chose themselves, and did things their own damn way. I know these stories will light you up and show you what’s possible when you put ego and ambition in the passenger seat and let something deeper and wiser take the wheel.