7 things I have learned during this quarantine season

Author:
September 27, 2020
*Going back to what is important
*Pivoting
*Health is one of the most important things
*Community
*Being in the present moment
*Have grace with yourself
*Surrender

Going back to what is important

I remember at the beginning of the year picking 2 words that were my 2020 words.  Do you do that?  I thought they were just for me, but hey, it turns out it’s for everyone.  Alignment was number one. Since the first week of this quarantine I have felt that it’s the most optimal time that people are getting into alignment with what matters to them. Stripping away distractions and eliminating things that hold them back from what they really care about. Of course, I had no idea it would actually turn out in the way like it has, it’s definitely been a season of alignment.  
It reminds me of the pruning of a tree. Trees are strong and steady with a firm foundation underneath them. In order to keep them strong & vibrant they need to be pruned. The dead branches & leaves need to come off in order for the new to come in and bring new life to the tree. This is just like our life. The tree rids the distractions and places that seem to cause more death than life and that is what also needs to happen in our life in order to be all that we desire to be.
This time has allowed me to come back to what matters in life to me. It has gotten me to get real and honest facing myself.  The reality is what is important to me still remains the same, I just now see it in a new light. How about you?

Pivoting 

I don’t know about you but I have noticed myself as well as many others that have spent this time to maybe not stop everything that has happened in their life this far whether it’s been their business, personal development, community, or other things, yet it’s been a time of pivoting the HOW of what it looks like.  For example, I know for me I've had to become creative in the ways I have continued my mission, life, career, & direction.  Instead of hosting local or global retreats and mission trips, I’ve had to pivot in how to keep the community alive and support the ones right in front of us in the present moment instead of focusing on the future plans that we don’t know if they’re happening yet or not.  I’ve also been able to help people with their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual & relational wellness in a new way than I had before.  Accountability coach people in new structures and daily habits. It’s all been different than normal yet it’s been really fun to pivot with the new needs.
Have you seen businesses that were once selling dentist equipment and now have been making masks for hospitals and other big companies? Yes, that is what pivoting looks like.  How is it that you can pivot to a need that is happening right now?

Health is one of the most important things

Right now, more than ever there is a huge need for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and relational wellness. When we don’t have our health, we can’t do much. It’s when all our dreams are put to the side because all we want is our health, to feel good.  With people being stuck inside, gyms closed, no personal/physical contact, our mental and emotional health is a risk.  Because of this, I saw this need and did something about it!  I asked some women in my life if they wanted to be a part of a group where we were challenged & focused on our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and relational wellness with live videos of workouts, yoga, meditations, discussion on all these topics and challenges throughout the week.  It was powerful and a lot of fun! It showed me that we ALL need it right now.  I remember times in my life where I physically couldn’t do anything because of burnout or depression and all I wanted was my health back so I could live the dreams and purpose I knew were in my heart and life.  This is also a way from #2 of what pivoting can look like.

Community

Personally, I am fortunate enough to have incredible friends and family in my life.  Community has always been at the top of my personal values.  I also have a few friends I am quarantined with during this time so it makes it a bit easier to be able to see a few people in person.  I am also used to being someone that has always been apart of many groups, events, projects, church, etc.  It’s always been amazing, yet it can also be exhausting having so many people in your life.  Especially if you’re someone like me that gives your energy fully to others.  It’s such a gift and also really hard at the same time.  This time of quarantine has really shown me who to invest in, who to let speak into my life, whose phone calls to answer, & who to let into my emotional life.  I have always believed that who we hang around the most is who we become like.  Although I wish I could see and hug all my friends and different groups, it has been refreshing to be so intentional with where my energy is going.
Right now, more than ever we have seen depression, loneliness, anxiety, & sadness all rise.  Over the past couple years I have been working on my own vulnerability and expressing my emotions to the people I care about most in my life, which has not been easy.  Now, I have seen how vulnerability has been able to connect me to people with more empathy, grace and love like never before.  When we are transparent in a healthy way with our life and emotions with those we trust & in our community, it makes us seen and known.  Community is so important through this time for our mental and emotional wellbeing, I can’t express it enough.  Also, if you are someone who doesn’t currently have community, please reach out, I have a few communities I would LOVE to invite you into with open arms.  Know that if you are reading this, you are seen, loved, appreciated and worthy of an invitation to community. Again, please don’t hesitate to reach out, it would be an honor to connect you.

Being in the present moment

All we have is now.  As a person who is a dreamer and a do-er, I am constantly doing a thousand projects at once. I am looking toward the future. I am always on the move.  In my head I have always known that we only have the present moment because our past isn’t real life, it already happened, and our future isn’t real life either because it hasn’t happened yet. So why is it that it never really clicked in my heart? Well, today there really isn’t  a lot of monthly and yearly planning, let alone weekly planning, it’s been a daily plan. That has been very humbling. It’s not only myself who is affected by this, it’s the whole world.  This has forced me to be so intentional with what I have right in front of me right now and let everything else go.  To be honest, I even had to grieve some plans I was excited about where I thought life was headed in. That was SO hard.  We really do only have what is right in front of us. I was reminded of this on a recent camping experience where I enjoyed the present moment so much where there was literally no other place I wanted to be.  My heart is now connected in a new way where I don’t want to miss the blessings along the present journey. Each and every single day is a gift. We can’t get it back and I would never want to regret looking back thinking I moved too fast to enjoy the moments that life is made up of and all about.

Have grace with yourself

I remember when I saw my neurolink practitioner last year and one of the things he could feel in my body was that I was harder on myself than anyone else in my life.  That is certainly the truth! I compare myself to myself all the time.  When my body has been fatigued, I have wanted to beat it up by forcing myself to get up and fight it out. When I wasn’t working so hard on projects I mentally reminded myself of what I have done in the past and that I have to keep up. When I was depressed I emotionally didn’t want to let myself feel the pain, so I kept myself distracted.  When I had no answers, I made sure to remind myself that I needed to know and figure it out. When I wanted to cry I didn’t let myself, I did pep talks in the mirror and told myself that I needed to keep a smile on my face for everyone else otherwise why would they trust you?
Over the past couple years, especially this last year I have learned so much about vulnerability. It’s made me feel sticky, exposed, raw, unprotected and it’s been hard.  Especially in this quarantine, I have learned to face my daily emotions. I have been faced with only myself head on. I can’t turn anywhere to distract myself.  There have been days where I felt extremely motivated, and there are days where all I want to do is sit with myself and the creator of the universe.  In whatever moment I have been in, I have learned to love it all, to embrace it all, to be gentle so ultimately I can be free.
I no longer have to be in a battle with myself, compare myself to my past achievements or future projections.  I am exactly where I am supposed to be and my head and heart connected in realizing how perfect that really is.  How is it that you can have grace with yourself?

Surrender

I have had so many moments of irritability.  When I self reflect back on where my irritability stems from it’s usually some form of expectation, an attachment I may have.  Once I dug into where my attachments were, places where I was trying and wanting so badly to control. I had to be honest with myself and fully let it go.  It’s not easy to release. It’s not easy to surrender. The power of letting your head and heart connect to the reality of the freedom you will have once the outcome is surrendered is unreal.
I have learned in the past few weeks that everything I was desiring, holding onto, wanting to make happen, or planned for at the end of the day can slip away.  I was also then reminded of other times in my life where I felt like I was at the end of myself and had no other choice than to surrender.  This is where I am now. I currently don’t have answers to pretty much anything in life, other than what is in front of me daily, yet I am so at peace internally that I know surrender is the right path.  I remember, it has always worked out better than I imagined once I surrendered, so today I am reminded that as I surrender my life again, it’s going to turn out better than I could have ever planned for.

I hope even as hard as it is to surrender your attachments, and relinquish control, that you would feel peace in your heart, letting the power of something bigger than you guide you to what you could only imagine life to be.

You are not alone in your process. The process is necessary for what is to come.  What of these 7 resonates the most with you?


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