Hit Pause and Invest in You!

For the last few months, I’ve been juggling having kids at home full time (thanks COVID), client work and growing my business. Juggling all these balls has left little time for me. So, I decided to hit pause and take the time invest in my personal and professional growth. 

Tired of spending hours on my computer, I seized the opportunity to attend an in-person retreat on a 5-acre piece of heaven. Lots of room for social distancing while still having the increasingly rare face-to-face interactions. 

It was great connecting with other like-minded women while also having the guilt-free time to go inward and get clear on the shifts I need to make to grow without being stretched. 

I thought I’d share some nuggets from my time at Trailblazers retreat that have made me pause, reflect and change how I operate. 

Doubt takes you out

It’s often the internal forces, not external, that are the biggest barriers to our success. Each time doubt creeps into our mind, it adds another brick. Over time these bricks can create a wall that can be hard to overcome.

The best way to avoid creating barriers is to acknowledge doubt when it happens, and consciously let it go. 

20-second rule 

When you experience doubt, shame, guilt or any other negative thoughts, don’t dwell on them. If they aren’t released within 20-seconds, they take hold in your psyche. Anything you focus on for over 20-second is what you manifest. 

Think about it. If you spend a lot of time thinking about your lack of money, you will continue to attract the same. Shifting your mindset to think about the abundances in your life will bring more abundance. We attract what we put out. 

A great trick Isabelle and Margarita from LeapZone Strategies shared is to have a bowl of pebbles and a jar at your desk. Each time a negative thought pops in your mind, put a pebble in the jar and release the thought. At the end of the day you can see how many negative thoughts you’ve released. Overtime, as you focus on releasing these thoughts, you may see you have less pebbles in your jar. 

Focus on the what not the how 

This was a big aha moment for me. I’ve been looking at adding more people to my team to better serve my clients and avoid burnout. While I know what I want to do and who I would like to work with, I’ve been spending way too much time in the how. 

And living in the how can be scary. How will I afford this? How will I divide the work? How will I bill clients? The list of how questions is never ending. 

As we worked through the day, it became clear that I need to focus on the who and the what and spend less energy on the how. Looking back on my life, there are many times when the how sorted itself out without my help. This has included launching a consulting business (how will I get clients – clients find me by word of mouth) and moving to the west coast (how will I make the transition, meet people, build community – this has unfolded without much effort).

What you tolerate you worry about

Yup, there are a number of things I tolerate in my life that take up way too much head space. The nugget here is release what you tolerate and replace it will curiosity. Going from tolerating to being curious can spark a perception shift. Who knows what insights and releases can come from this shift? 

Boundaries bring joy

Setting and respecting boundaries can be tough for many of us – especially women. We want to please, are afraid to say no or want to be liked. 

But lack of boundaries can also be draining. We spend too much energy on what we don’t like, leaving less time and space for what we enjoy.

By setting boundaries we take back some of that space. And in that space, we are able to focus on what brings us joy. Who doesn’t want more joy in their life?  

Ask for help

Going back to all the balls I’m juggling, I realized that instead of worrying about dropping a ball, I can hand it off to someone else. It’s okay. I’m not going to win any awards for my juggling skills. 

By letting go of what I don’t need to do, I create space for creativity, reflection and am able to welcome more joy into my life. 

These are just some of the nuggets I gained through my time at Trailblazers. 

But the biggest learning of the day was the importance of hitting pause and taking the time to invest in me. I honestly can’t remember when I spent an entire day focusing on my personal and professional growth. 

With all the craziness of COVID, I think it’s more important than ever that you find time to pause and reflect. Now is a time to redefine who you are and how you work. 

What is your new normal? Once you know the what, the how will unfold. 

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