6 months of the year has passed in a whirl of doing stuff. doing things, doing...
I crave a moment to just be, to pause, to love life, to look at the flowers. I wish to make the whole world to pause, to be here right now.
I wonder if you feel the same.
Midsummer can feel a bit bittersweet, the longest day and shortest night, but we know from now until 21st December the days will get shorter (in the Northern hemisphere). Yet the whole summer is ahead of us, and already many of us can feel the need to plan for September, the return to school the preparations for later in the year. What if we could just be.
How many of us long for those long summers when as children we played and idled away. What bliss. At the time we have no idea how precious those moments are and as we get older we forget we do have the power to create those moments for ourselves.
If this year has been a whirl for you. If you are wondering, how are we at midsummer already then I ask you to take a moment. Look at your plans for the coming months and see where you can cancel the doing and just be.
How can you create a moment of bliss where you relax, play and have fun?
Can you even remember to have fun?
When was the last time you had fun and laughed aloud?
It's time to create these moments of magic for ourselves. It's time to carve out time to find what makes us feel comfortable. It's great to expand our comfort zones but this summer, perhaps reconnecting with your comfort zone will be the thing that can help your mind, body and spirit.
This summer solstice take these steps towards reconnecting with your comfort zone;
before you start take some time and space to carve out time that feels right for you. Ask for help from friends and family to look after the children, or anyone or anything else you feel obligated to put first. Take a day off work or use a weekend. Give yourself time.
Take a journal or a note book and answer these questions;
How have the last 6 months made you feel?
What do you wish you could have done differently?
What went well?
Did you achieve your goals (if you had any)? celebrate what you've achieved and learn from where you didn't achieve what you want.
Where have you expended most of your energy?
Over the last 6 months do you think you were operating in your comfort zone? your crisis zone? or your challenge zone? or perhaps a zone of compliance or complacency.
Where do you see yourself in December? What will be different in your life? What will you do differently? How will you listen to your own needs? How will you feel?
You may want to discuss these questions with a friend. Or journal on them over a few days. You may want to record audio notes. You may want to create art to express your answers, or do a vision board around each question.
Below are some of my own personal thought that I am reflecting on;
How has the last 6 months made me feel - honestly exhausted, my consultancy work has been busy, I had a bad chest infection December and January and then travelling with work, and then COVID which really has knocked me for six and I am still not back to my normal fitness levels. Mentally, physically or spiritually.
What could I have done differently - well I wish I had set up some better systems and process for having to take time off work. Being self employed I don't have the same safety net as I'd like. Also, if I focused on what I love my coaching and training, in particular my membership and my courses I could have materials produced in advance and know that I would still have an income. I was worried I'd end up with more time off from my consultancy work and not be able to pay the bills (even though I have a buffer of money, I still felt insecure). COVID was scary, I should have gone into hospital as my blood oxygen saturation levels dropped to levels that they advise to go to A&E, but I didn't and got a bottle of oxygen from my mum to use. (She has COPD so has oxygen in the house). I have taken so many precautions to avoid COVID and this was my first bout. And I've never felt so ill before. I'm not sure I could have prepared for the illness better, but I think I can prepare for having illness better.
Want went well - I made some new contacts and friendships at an event I attended. I did my talk at Booka in Oswestry which resulted in me opening up to face to face coaching clients again, which has been fabulous. The bouts of illness have really made me realise how much I want to focus on my coaching, training and writing. And my illness has made me stop working at weekends and evenings, book an office space in my local town to dedicate time to my writing, coaching and training. I'm not sure I'd have done any of that without the COVID scare.
Did I achieve my goals? - some yes - my Booka talk, finishing the proposal for my new book which I am really excited about, and taking my own advice and resting more. I've learnt I expect that I can do far too much in a day and realise I am actually very productive and need to stop beating myself up for not having achieved more. That's the hustle ingrained message in my subconscious always nagging away at me, and now I am quietening that voice.
Where have I expended most of my energy - sorting out my house due to the multiple issues we had with a boiler being replaced, a leak in a bathroom so 3 rooms needing replastering and painting. The house is still in turmoil as with the ill heath I haven't done as much as I wanted. Also, healing from health issues. Travel - I've done a lot more and I forget how tiring it is. My consultancy work, which has been really busy and it's very technical so takes a lot of concentration.
Over the last 6 months do you think you were operating in your comfort zone? your crisis zone? or your challenge zone? or perhaps a zone of compliance or complacency. - well I can say I've been operating in a bit of a mini crisis zone with some of the issues we'd had in the house and then my health issues. Definitely a compliance zone - I'm still doing too much of what I think I should do and not enough of what I want to do. I have been challenging myself in some areas but actually pulled back as I need to focus on healing so I need to really get into my cosy zone to do this and my comfort zone to do all he wonderful things I love like coaching, training and writing which really light me up.
Where do you see yourself in December? What will be different in your life? What will you do differently? How will you listen to your own needs? How will you feel? - oh this is such a good question (even if it is my own) - In December i would like to have a confirmed book deal and me writing my book and heading towards a publication date. My house will be decluttered after all the mayhem. I'll be doing more of what I love and spending more time healing. Things I'll do differently - I'm carrying on with Wednesdays focused on my passions, I am loving having space to do this. I'm planning on doing more creative things to spark my mind, body and spirit. I'm taking time to read more. And focusing on the here and now to create a new future. I'll listen to my needs by pausing each day and checking in with my body, checking in with my mind and checking in with my spirit. I need magic and wonder in my life, so I'll be looking for this everyday and finding lots of opportunities to do this too. and I will feel alive, magical, relaxed and confident.
I hope seeing how I answered these questions has inspired you to do this exercise. If you'd like support in going through these questions I'll be doing a zoom session for members of my Magical Mojo Academy in the coming weeks and the doors are open to join as part of my founding members program, which I've been running over the last few years as I play with the best approach to online coaching membership. If you'd like to join you can find out more here
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