Purpose, Vision and Self-Care
I am so happy to be here with you again today. I love this time of year – the rain, the snow, sweaters and boots, fresh, cold air – yep, I love this time of year! And then there is the possibility – a whole year ahead of us that holds all the possibility that we could ever wish for. We get to create our future and we can make it whatever we want it to be. Are you ready to step into your future? To create a life that is values driven and live your intention? Me, too!
At lots of points in 2020 I felt like I was just cruising – waiting for the lockdown to end, waiting for COVID to end, waiting for the vaccine to be developed. This year is going to be about action – it might look a little different since we are still waiting for some of those things to happen, but there are lots of ways to take action and remain safe. I will be stepping out of my comfort zone, trying things I have never done before, and living with intention. The first new thing I’ll be doing in 2021? Facilitating a group coaching session for mental health professionals who are ready to take the next step in their personal and professional development. (Big stretch for me! Groups? Not in my comfort zone, and facilitating a group? Way outside of my comfort zone.)
As George Bernard Shaw said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” I am ready to stop cruising and start creating - are you? If you are, I have some things for you to check out that I know will support you in developing your 2021 action plan.
One of my favorite coaches, Kelly Mobeck, has this amazing podcast – “Let’s Be Honest Before We Start Pretending” (https://www.kellyjmobeck.com/podcast.html). This morning as I walked my dog, I was catching up on episodes that I had missed and was thrilled to hear Coach Kelly talking about purpose in episode 33. As she said, “It is one of the most important and foundational tools you can have…”. Oh, but that’s not all, in episode 34 Coach Kelly goes on to talk about creating a vision. Wow, right? Purpose and vision in bite sized, easy to digest and implement pieces. Best of all? Coach Kelly shares all this in less than 30 minutes (each episode) and I promise you that it will be 60 minutes well spent if you take the time to listen. Check out the podcast – you will not regret it! And you do not need to take just my word for it - Coach Kelly’s podcast was nominated for the Podcasting for Business 2021 Awards in the category of Best Entrepreneur Podcast. Congrats Coach Kelly!
Now that you have defined your purpose and created your vision it is time to take care of you. You deserve it! So, here’s to a well-cared for you! In October, I attended the first ever virtual self-care retreat facilitated by a group of superb coaches, led by Coach Ali Goff. This retreat proved to me that connection can occur, and community can be created, without ever leaving your home. The take aways from the retreat included a workbook that I refer to at least weekly and a detailed self-care plan that has helped me move through the last few months of this year and prepare for the coming year while intentionally caring for myself in big and small ways.
Retreat workshops included Intention Setting, Barriers to Achievement, and Creating a Well-Formed Outcome to name only a few. There were also workshop options to support business building for the entrepreneurs in the group, including a workshop on social media, and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a marketing guru who reviewed and provided suggestions for improving your professional LinkedIn page. Additionally, there were opportunities for practicing mindfulness from yoga sessions to guided visualizations, and for creating community during sessions that provided opportunity to simply chat and get to know one another.
This amazing retreat is coming up again in April 2021 and you too can share in all the amazing experiences described above and walk away with a personalized self-care plan that will support you to live your best life. I hope to see you there! If you are interested in participating, please visit the BAWLR website for more information on how to register (https://www.badassretreat.com/bawlrretreat).
See what I mean? So much possibility! We have unlimited options and now is the time to start exploring them and creating the life we want to live. I am so excited about the future and I hope you are too!
That’s all for tonight, but don’t worry – the fourth and final installment of my “closing down 2020” blog post will be on the way tomorrow night. And, in case you’re wondering – last is definitely not least – I’ll be sharing more exciting opportunities for you to explore and grow. In fact, a life changing opportunity – I know, because I took the opportunity two years ago.
Signing off until tomorrow,
A.
