Overwhelm has become commonplace and most of us are just trying to get through the responsibilities of our day-to-day lives, which makes long-term, visionary, big picture thinking a real challenge.

Most of my clients crave simplicity – the kind that allows them to have their ambitions and dreams and successes but without the chronic fatigue, depletion and sacrifice.

They want less to do. Fewer responsibilities. And more free time for themselves, their passions, and the ones they love.

And, nearly all of my clients fear that the simplicity they crave just isn’t possible for them. I used to fear this, too.

We don’t see many examples of women living deeply meaningful, truly fulfilling, colorful and joyful lives without some degree of burnout, breakdown and significant imbalance. Most of the women who work with me feel trapped in this and don’t know how to get out of it.

So here is a reminder:

We know deep down inside that it’s possible to have the successes we desire without hurting, sacrificing and depleting ourselves. We know that our bodies and our lives are supposed to feel good. We know that we shouldn’t have to trade our health, happiness, relationships and integrity for “success”, whatever that means to us.

We know that there has to be a better way.

We are right.

It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of “success” – be it a professional success, a motherhood success, a personal success, or all of the above – and start to believe that it’s all about the end result. This is where we can get out of synch with our joy and our truth.

What if the pursuit itself could become an exercise in honoring yourself and being true to you?

What if it’s not about the “right” or “perfect” action or outcome?

What if you could shift from focusing on the end result and instead focus on the journey and have the process being truly aligned and congruent for you?

If you’re doing things and living in a way that is truly aligned and self-honoring, you will enjoy what you’re doing. You will have a connection with it. You will relish the process. It will be a powerful and wonderful use of your energy and time.

If it’s not truly aligned it will feel draining. You’ll feel irritated, or outright resentful. And it might even feel like it’s a waste or a misuse of your energy and time.

Want to see for yourself?

Take one minute to write down your top 5 priorities. Don’t over think it, judge or edit yourself. Just write them down.

Now look at your schedule.

What does your schedule say your priorities are? Are you living and doing things that are in alignment with your priorities, or is something else happening?

If you are, do your actions make you feel alive, buoyant, and like you’re make good use of your time and energy?

You can have what you want. You can live in a way that feels good to you. You can “have it all”.

The way we step out of self-sacrifice, depletion and constantly postponing our desires is to get clear that the way forward isn’t about you doing more. Instead it’s about you becoming very discerning about what is truly aligned for you, and what is a good use of your time and energy.

Contrary to the “no pain, no gain” propaganda you’ve been inundated with your entire life, I’ll leave you with this revolutionary thought:

If it feels good, and it honors who you are, trust it.

xoxo