Superpower

Recently, a close friend of mine told me that my superpower is the ability to get things done no matter what is going on in my life. As I reflected on her comment, I realized that this has not always been true for me.

During my twenties, I would put my self-care needs, personal and career goals aside for my ex-husband, a close friend or family member if it conflicted with their need, they asked me for help, or if something important was going on in their lives. This was my innate response because people are important to me, especially those in my friends & family circle. I am a natural helper and caregiver, and it just felt right to be present during happy and difficult times.

Somewhere along the journey, as I approached 30, I found that I was lost and not feeling so great. My personal and career goals were dusty on the shelf, and I was in a whole lot of physical and emotional pain due to neglecting myself. Then when my marriage ended despite all I had sacrificed, I realized I needed a new approach to living and relating to others that wasn't so painful for me.

I made a commitment to myself that year to put myself first. I committed to taking care of myself - spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Through trial and error I figured out what kinds of self-care I need to thrive, and I built that into my daily life. At the same time, I needed to get back on track with my personal and career goals. So I made time every day to work on those, too.

I made it a habit to put my self-care first, followed by work on my goals, before I stepped back and offered myself to my friends and family. This wasn't easy, but there are a couple of things that continue to help me stick with my commitments, no matter what is going on in my life.

The first is a schedule with the important things built in. I have 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour in the evening dedicated to self-care every single day where I do things like meditate, yoga, exercise, self-Reiki, prepare healthy foods, journal, and connect with spiritual practices. I also have designated work hours, where I am not available for friends and family, to do errands, or goof off. I stick with them every week.

The other secret to my success is my coaches and supporters who hold me accountable and gently help me stay on track and get off the slippery slope of falling back into old habits. It's powerful to have people on your side who will hold up the mirror and let you know if you are not following through with your dreams. I have supporters in all aspects of my life - nutrition, exercise, emotional, spiritual, business strategy, finance, writing, colleagues at The Healing Center, etc... I think it would have been much, much harder to make all the changes and reach all the goals I have reached in the last couple of years without them.

Among the things I've gotten done in the past couple of weeks: packing, moving, unpacking, applying to the MBA program at Endicott College, donating 12 inches of my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, reviewing Capri Smith's latest manuscript, and making plans to complete the 2nd draft of my book in the next 6 weeks!

I am paying it forward. In my business, I am blessed to serve as a coach and supporter for other healing professionals who need encouragement, ideas for getting out of stuck places, and accountability with getting things done towards their own self-care and professional goals every day. Check out a few of the Success Stories on my website about the people I've helped: Olga and Dana are great examples. I love being able to pay forward what really helped me.

Does your business need some fertilizing and nourishment going into the spring so it can blossom into full bloom later this year? If so, join me for a 1/2 day retreat on March 11th: Grow Your Business the Heart Centered Way. Space is limited to 6 - email me to reserve your spot. I also work with people one on one, take a look at Dreaming and Birthing your Business to find out more about that.