Greetings from NYC.
I’m in the second week of a three week stay here in NYC.
Spending time in one of my favourite cities in the world always makes me happy. However, as much as I love doing stuff in NYC, I haven’t wanted to do much of anything lately.
My first week was spent lounging on the couch watching movies and then recovering from a bad sinus infection.
As much as I LOVE working with clients, having that week just for me was heavenly.
I also have a bigger confession to make: I’m loving not having a plan or working much the next few weeks.
I’m sure that many of my colleagues are revving up new launches for the Fall, planning their new talks and travels and meanwhile, I’m doing a lot LESS.
A few years ago, slowing down and trusting the flow of life and my process would have been unimaginable. What? Not DO and just trust?
Well, trusting has become a major muscle I’ve learned to flex.
As a result: my life has been a whole lot easier and joyful in the process.
I’m talking about this topic today because frankly, several of my clients have been called to do less and it has been freaking them out.
So, here are a few tried and true strategies from my trenches when all you really want to do is nothing:
1. Honour how you feel: If you don’t want to do something, and there isn’t an immediate need to do it, then don’t. Overly simplistic? Not really. There is an art to living life and to trusting the process. What if what you are feeling is exactly the best guidance for you in this moment? So instead of “shoulding” and judging your way out of feeling what you feel, see what your feelings are trying to get you to see for yourself first.
2. Trust the process: One of the most profound spiritual lessons we can learn is the art of trusting life, and trusting in Divine Timing. Whether you feel this is hogwash or not, what I can say is that it has created a LOT more ease in my life. So what if life was happening FOR you and just as you need it to be? Even with the perceived “delays”, “lack of speed” and abundance that you thought you’d have right now. What if the Universe was co-creating everything perfectly for you? If you trusted the process, how much more fun could you experience right now?
One of the key benefits of trusting the process is that it allows you to be more present and mindfulness leads to synchronicity, magic, ease and lots of amazing possibilities.
3. Give yourself permission to be lazy: I know that for overachievers like you and I, it’s hard to “justify” doing less or worse, doing nothing at all. Truth be told, doing less is often the best thing for us. And I know that sometimes that’s just not enough so…..it’s ok to ask your friends if you need to, or yourself, for permission to take a break. I’ve done it and it just makes me feel like I’m not being a lazy bum.
4. Recall all that you’ve accomplished so far: Sometimes the easiest way to “justify” a break can be to review everything that you’ve accomplished in the last 30 – 90 days. Heck, even the last week can be pretty epic since I know you get a lot done every day. When you review all that you’ve accomplished, it can help you acknowledge the rest that your body and spirit need and also to give yourself the space to take the break that you need.
5. Rest is a healthy business practice: Rest is a huge part of living a healthy lifestyle. Stillness is probably one of the most profound ways that we get to reconnect to ourselves, the Divine, and what’s next for us. So, as counterintuitive as it may seem, less is often a whole lot more. This is because we are connected to our Truth and taking aligned and inspired action instead of busy action.
6. Journal: Writing out your feelings can be helpful to get clarity on what you are experiencing and to connect more deeply with yourself.
Busy-ness for the sake of busy-ness isn’t productivity, it’s a fear-based activity.
The key to living an aligned lifestyle is all about acting from a loving place instead of fear. The key muscle in the process is faith and trust.
So, if you haven’t felt inspired to write your newsletter, to finish your website, to figure out your programs or to do much of anything, I invite you to honour what you’re feeling and to trust your body and your process. You will know the right time to resume your work, if you stay connected to your truth.
For now, I’m going back to my couch to watch more TV re-runs. :)
