|
Hi ,
I got sick this past week, which is thankfully rare for me.
And to tell you the truth, sometimes I enjoy getting sick. Because it gives me full permission to put all the SHOULDS aside and do what brings the most joy and healing.
(I've been working on being able to put them all aside no matter how I'm feeling, but that's a work in progress. We've all got some big unlearning to do there, amiright?)
So as I laid in bed with all my shoulds tossed into a corner, I asked myself what is it I truly wanted to do with my time.
And then I let myself do it. I spent multiple days in my bed creating content, writing and revising web copy for a client, and coaching my current clients via chat since I was really not feeling being on Zoom.
It was pure joy, despite my achy joints and scratchy throat.
I know, I know -- I should have been resting and not doing any work. But really, I felt capable of it and it was feeding me, so I tossed that should aside as well.
The shoulds kept coming:
I should be doing the laundry.
I should be marketing my email writing course.
I should be making reels.
I should be emptying out my inbox.
I should be hosting that live Zoom.
I should be "scaling" my program.
It was actually quite revealing how often I felt guilty for doing what I really wanted to be doing, because part of me thought I'd be better off doing something else.
It actually reminded me of a story my friend once told me about living in an intentional community, and feeling bad that they just wanted to stay inside all day and cook. They felt guilty they weren't out working the garden or helping with construction. To them, it didn't feel like work, so they felt like they were getting away with something. Even though everyone else appreciated their contribution and they were good at it.
We're so conditioned to think that work should feel hard, that we don't let it be easy.
We feel our heartstrings tug at us showing us exactly what would bring us the most joy, and we push it away. We tell ourselves, "that won't pay the bills," or "that won't work, you've got to do it this way instead."
So we force ourselves to make reels even though we hate doing it, when maybe we really just want to write emails. We make our offerings look a certain way because that's what we've seen other people do. We make products we don't really like making. We work with clients we don't really want to work with.
Now to be clear, I'm not saying that it's all going to be buttercups and rainbows. I still have to do my laundry and empty my inbox, for example.
But it got me thinking: what am I doing in my business that I actually don't have to be doing? How could I tweak things to bring me even more joy? Where am I shoulding on myself needlessly?
How could I create even more space for the the things I want to do even when I'm sick? In other words, when I stopped caring about the shoulds so much.
And these questions felt like such good medicine I knew that's what I wanted to send your way this week.
If all the shoulds dropped away right now, what would you be doing with your time?
What would your product line look like?
What would your services look like?
What would your marketing look like?
I'd love to know what this is bringing up for you, . Hit reply and let me know what you're ready to let go of or what your heart is calling you towards. Nothing brings me more joy than hearing what makes you come alive and helping you have more of THAT in your life.
With the plants,
Stephanie
P.S. Do you know another business owner who is really good at shoulding on themselves, and they maybe need some permission to let things be easy? I'd be honored if you would forward this email to them, and keep the medicine moving.
P.P.S. If writing juicy love letters to your audience and/or starting a cooperative are part of what's calling you, don't forget about the two offerings closing today! Zip back up to the top of this email for all the details. 👆🏼
|
