My Top 3 Takeaways from a Year of Leaning In
Last year I began a practice of creating a ‘theme’ for my year ahead. This theme would be my guiding light in all that I do and be.
…It would be the friend reminding me of my soul’s highest intention for the year.
…It would be the foundation for alignment in setting the boundaries I need to thrive.
…It would be the focus for creating a life that lights me up and illuminates the world.
…It would be my north star.
My theme for 2017 was simple, though not easy, it was a year of LEANING IN.
It was the year for me to truly lean in, be vulnerable, be brave, be willing to get it wrong. It was the year for me to honor all the edges. {Tweet this}
In honor of leaning in I launched not one, but three new offerings with my work in the world: The Changemakers Circle, The Changemakers Adventure, and Soulful Life Mastery.
In honor of leaning in I reached new heights in my most important relationships, including the relationship I have with myself, my boundaries, and my priorities.
In honor of leaning in I leaned in further towards my potential and connected deeper with what that actually meant for me. I learned how to slow down to speed up. I learned how to let go so that I could do what 2017 was meant to teach me…to believe in myself, even if things don't go exactly as I planned.
Now as you can imagine, leaning in is not something that will end for me at the close of the year. Though the ‘friend, foundation, and focus’ for the year ahead will shift and with that, new lessons will emerge. But before we move on, I want to share what I learned from following my north star of ‘leaning in’ for a whole year…
My Top 3 Takeaways from a Year of Leaning In...
1. I didn’t say it would be easy… I said it would be worth it.
Bringing our full self to the world is often easier said than done because stepping into our truest calling and highest expression of leadership brings up our deepest fears.
we fear rejection
we fear being misunderstood
we fear making the wrong choice
we fear being exposed as a fraud
And I won’t lie to you…some (or all) of those things could happen. You may meet your fear, it may go horribly ‘wrong,’ you may fall. But what I know in my bones is this, bringing my full self to the world hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it.
From what I can tell, life is both messy and marvelous no matter how you decide to go about it, so you might as well chose what is really calling to the deepest parts of you.
2. When in doubt, let them have it, surrender, make peace. (side note: when there’s no doubt…do the same).
This is not about giving up or giving in, it’s simply about giving.
Early in 2017 I had a conflict with a friend (who was also a client). I moved through the disagreement with as much grace as I could at the time. I felt right. She felt right. We couldn’t find common ground. I held on tight. She held on tight. There were tears shed and fingers pointed. In the end, neither of us felt good and we both doubted ourselves.
I talked it through with a mentor and was able to get clear on what I wanted more than anything else, ‘peace.’ I was tired of battling and trying to make someone ‘see it my way.’ So I did just that, I made peace with myself and where I could have shown up better and I made peace with my friend and where she could have shown up better.
The relationship was still severed, yet, rather than regret, shame, and anger left in the dust of this aftermath, there was peace, respect, and understanding.
3. An ‘experiment mindset’ is your path to more easeful growth.
Launching three new projects into the world was not an easy task.
It took perseverance. It took support. It took courage.
But most importantly, it took me finding a way to stay in the process, rather than the outcome. It took me creating a way of being that was both ‘in the game’ and ‘in the moment.’ {Tweet this}
In the end, it wasn’t some savvy business strategy that allowed me to do what I did, it was a mindset.
When I was launching my first new program of the year, I was coming up against all sorts of hiccups. My coach reminded me that it was to be expected and to remember to think of this as an experiment, because truth be told, that’s what it was.
Anything we do for the first time is an experiment.
If we lose sight of this we risk showing up as perfectionists...
We wait too long
We compare ourself to others
We give up before we really get started
We become too attached to the outcome
We get wrapped up in a certain way it’s ‘suppose to be’
We embark in ‘busy work’ to feel a sense of control, only leaving us feeling depleted
We start to feel more and more…
tight, rather than expansive.
worried, rather than curious.
stuck, rather than creative.
We lose sight that all truly successful people know in their bones…there are no failures, only feedback.
So I stayed the course and approached my new projects like experiments. I was a scientist rather than a perfectionist. I had outcomes I hoped for (a hypothesis), yet again and again, I stayed focused on the process and curious about the outcome. I created ‘pivot’ plans and I stayed deeply connected to my ‘why’ for embarking on this journey in the first place.
I finally gave myself permission to grow with more ease and for the first time…I was truly present for all of it.
If 2018 is your year to grow with more ease in the ways you live, love, and lead - then I invite you to explore how The Changemakers Circle can support you on that journey.
The Changemakers Circle:
Create a life that lights you up and illuminates the world.
Last year was the 1st year I ran this mentorship program - it brought deep growth, connection, and meaning into my life and all those involved. This year the flow will look a bit different and also be more financially accessible as I’m bringing in two versions of the offering, The Changemakers Circle and The Changemakers Circle: Elevated.
This is a 10 month journey for 12 ambitious, change-making minded seekers.
Both include:
- monthly life and leadership group coaching with me
- nine life visioning mentoring calls with me
- nine inspiring guest mentors
- monthly S.A.C.R.E.D circles
- a life changing challenge
- private facebook group
*Elevated includes all the above, plus 1-on-1 coaching with me and a retreat in October to Bali (The Changemakers Adventure).
Early enrollment runs the first 2 weeks in January and will include an incredible bonus (a 2018 planning session with me).
If you’re interested in more information about The Changemakers Circle and The Changemakers Circle: elevated, send me a message here.
I’ll send details to you by January 1st, along with an invitation for us to schedule time to speak before making any final decisions.
>>> Now I’d love to hear from you<<<
Did you have a theme for last year? What was your biggest lesson from last year?
In honor of growth,
Want to dive deeper? Want to dive deeper? Download my 4 session E-course for free! illuminated: a soulful life design challenge