A new year starts now. It feels both focused and uncertain as to what will emerge in the upcoming future.
For me, the past year brought growth, uncertainty and gifts. Some expected and some unexpected in each area. As often happens, the unexpected gifts usually brought deep new insights.
What’s emerging for you now as you look at your life journey, our world … what’s calling in your heart and being?
What do you care about? Give a gift to yourself, or the world. Make a game changing offer, launch a dream or explore awakening your whole being. Depending on what you need at this time in your life, you may just need to ‘be’.
It was an interesting 2016. Much of my personal journey focused on developing practices and tools around self-awareness, perspectives, self-compassion and voicing my truth. This was expedited by my desire to be present, healthy, compassionate and self-compassionate for an important complex event, a family wedding.
My daughter Kait and her husband, both beloveds, wed late summer at Bend of Ivy Lodge in a beautiful heartfelt ceremony on the Labyrinth. A family wedding offers wonderful opportunity for deep dives into complexity, emotions, transitions, stress reduction practice, grounding practice, adult development exploration, poor self-care, good self-care, love and curiosity.
Preparing for my daughter’s wedding was all that, and a great practice sandbox for my professional journey expanding on coaching tools, practices and education. Truly was a developmental sandbox for me, and I am grateful for that.
What’s stirring in you?
Perhaps it’s about being or showing up differently. Or having a voice. Or choosing what to do with a voice that’s been quiet.
Perhaps the voice was quiet to please someone. Or quiet so as not to displease someone.
There is a deep shifting, curiosity and uncertainty flowing as folks ponder their personal and community awareness, intentions and energies. More so than usual on a global scale.
People are aware of something stirring in them, and are trying to discern what’s happening. I see this in coaching and personal conversations, workshops, articles and across social media.
Others sense this shifting also. I recently heard Otto Scharmer, well known leadership author and co-founder of the Presencing Institute, call this phenomena a period of disruption or global societal disruption.
What’s your gut, intuition or heart sensing?
Somatics, the mind-body connection, seems to be stirring for many with some yearning, concern or curiosity. Often the body first tells us something is stirring for us, before the mind is aware of the trigger, desire or fear.
Human wiring, or neuroplasticity, is our natural programing that anticipates survival needs. And two basic human needs are safety and community. We want to be safe and we want to be in relationship with others.
It’s like holding your breath for a long time, then taking a big gulp of air to fill the lungs. The gulp feels life-giving. That’s the human survival mechanism kicking-in to say … Breathe. Expand your lungs.
Or, the survival mechanism could say,
Leap and Become.
For me, Leap and Become is a mantra that’s called to me at different points in my life. I discovered that mantra through a lovely poem by gifted poet and artist Mary Anne Radmacher. Her poems and artwork often move me, visually encouraging me during significant life transitions.
I discovered the poem several years ago in a Charleston art booth while celebrating a significant birthday. More significant than the birthday was the life transitions swirling around me then. The poem resonated to my core then, and still does. It is framed and placed to welcome those entering and leaving my home.
The Jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be … because of all i may become I will close my eyes and Leap!
This poem called to me at many life points where I held my breath, or paused with a choice. I held on to something until I discerned in my being that it was time to let go, or start to let go. Letting go is a journey.
A Leap to Become. Done that many times in my life where I made a BIG decision or change that my internal voice and wiring said NOW… do it. Usually there was a long period of search and discernment beforehand. Sometimes I felt pushed to leap, and sometime I felt pulled to leap.
And, I’ll probably leap again when there’s risk and opportunity to BE, and not just be.
What do you need to let go of and BE? Or with discernment, Leap and Become?
My wish for you,
Be aware. Be present. Be involved. Be bold. Be kind. Be wise. Stand in your truth.
Be and journey well, Susan