Honoring the Ebbs and Flows
I'm a little tired, I am not going to lie. And so I have honored the need to rest while I am in a very active time in my work, both inner and outer. I have learned to look at my years and my vision from the perspective of my rhythms, the rhythms of nature, my family, and of my beloveds. I have learned that I have patterns that sometimes match nature and the seasons and sometimes don't. But looking at life and work from this view makes visioning and planning more natural, more aligned.
For example as I look at past and future years, I know I have the most energy from August-November, and need rest, reflection and vision time during later November, December, and most of January. And is it happens that is aligned with when nature goes dormant, and most of you are busy with holiday stuff, or perhaps honoring your need to reflect. And then I go quite active again from February through May, and once again need rest, water, family and beach time. I used to not honor that and try to do things when it was not in alignment for me, or I would load up my calendar before and after vacations, only to cancel everything because I would go into overwhelm. Now I just don't do it. YES, I break most of the golden rules the business and life coach gurus will tell you. Don't stop business for a month at a time, you will fail, you won't meet you goals, you definitely won't make money blah, blah, bullshit. It is when I force, work myself into overwhelm, and don't honor myself that things bust at the seams, that I cannot create anything or be fully present to my life and to my work. When I honor the ebbs and flows, things naturally come to me.
And even in the very active times, I build in rest, reflection, creative time. Or again I am no good to anyone. Every Friday is my sacred time to do whatever I choose to do. It is a MUST. Today, I honored a nap, because I felt tired, and I love naps. And I usually get my most inspired ideas right as I am settling in to a cozy nap.
Also when we plan and vision in the traditional way as opposed to the rhythmic way, there is no stopping to honor what has already been accomplished, and it is usually all about creating new and more stuff! This is a lesson I continue to learn for myself, sometimes if you build something and give it your energy, it ultimately has a life of its own, and can go on maintenance mode where it bears fruit but doesn't need all of your energy. But often we do something once, and then never again, and rather than let that continue to work for us, we start creating more stuff to manage. I am so guilty of this. My mentor tells me I love to be in creator/destroyer mode instead of maintainer mode. So that is my work for the next several months, and what I personally will be working with in my Sacred Vision Garden class. Those things that can be harvested over and over, year after year, like a fruit tree, just needing a little attention but not all of my energy. And not saying, oh yeah, been there done that,so I am done with it. Let's do a whole bunch of new stuff, planting tons of new seeds that need a lot of nurturing and energy, and not always planting them at the right time. Does any of this ring true or sound familiar to you?
This is what I am inviting you to sit with, and the reason I am gathering women to look at what they are harvesting during this harvest time. What can go dormant, and what is ripe and ready to blossom next spring, and perhaps plant just one or two new seeds...and not in January when they will not thrive. How about looking at your life and business visions now, so you can go into the holidays with a sense of ease, allowing yourself to reflect and spend time with your family and come into 2019 knowing that you don't have to start a whole bunch of new to-do's in January but continue to nurture what is already working for you, and wrap those trees in a warm blanket.
For those of you here in Denver I invite you to join me to create your Sacred Vision Garden and look at what your natural rhythms are, how to honor them, and how to create a life and vision that is in support of that. This can also be offered in a one on one setting, either in person or virtually.
I would love to hear how you honor the harvest at this time of year, in your life, in your business, and your spirit.