Issue #22  // The Grace Just to Be📍

via @martinamartian

From Melia:

Yesterday was one of those days where, to quote the Friends theme song, it felt like I was stuck in second gear.

I’d kept Evan out of school because of his cough, and I’d posted up at the dining room table with my laptop to work from home. I had my task list in front of me, but somehow I couldn’t get traction on it. I felt anxious, distracted, and low energy. I kept running into roadblocks, like baffling error messages on the digital ads I was trying to publish.

I had a desperate, helpless feeling as I watched the hours slip by without much to show for them.

As an Enneagram 1 (The Perfectionist / Reformer) personality type, I’m especially sensitive to not living up to expectations, my own and others’. Ones believe that they must be good and right to be worthy. And in my mind, it’s good and right to be productive.

Throughout the day, my inner critic and inner coach were battling it out for dominance.

Critic: You’re worthless. You’re a burden. You’re a pile of human garbage.

Coach: Of course you aren’t as productive as you’d like to be. Avery hasn’t slept through the night in six weeks! You’re taking care of Evan and managing regular interruptions. You are doing the very best you can.

Back and forth they went, the critic loud and confident, the coach more soft-spoken but resolved. The coach, however, had an ace in the hole, something that the inner critic couldn’t refute:

You have inherent value as a human being, no matter what.

Even if you don’t accomplish what you set out to – today, this week, this year.

Even if you’re not where you want to be in your career.

Even if you don’t write the book.

Even if you don’t look the way you’d like to.

Even if you don’t do any of these things, or the many others on your list, you have worth. You are enough. Period.

So many of us need this daily reminder, especially those of us who tend to equate productivity with worthiness. As the saying goes, we are human beings, not human doings.

So today, let’s remember that it’s who we are that matters, not what we do. We can practice letting go of the pressure to produce and give ourselves the grace just to be.

🎙 Latest Episode: #31 - What to Do When You Hit ‘The Dip’

What do you do when you hit ‘The Dip’ – that drop in motivation once the excitement wears off a new undertaking?

Now is a good time to talk about The Dip, when our burst of New Year’s energy is starting to fade. We discuss how to know when to quit and when to push through – plus strategies for re-energizing around what’s most important to you.

• Listen to the episode and read the show notes 

👉 Steal This Tip: Decide where you want to invest your time.

Consider all your options, and get curious about each. What are you most excited about? What is most meaningful to you? Re-energize on the goals you care most about, and work on saying “no” to requests or cutting back on activities that don’t align with them.

👋 ICYMI

Episode #23: How to Make Time for What Fuels You 🎙

It's not always easy to make time for activities that make you feel happy, fulfilled, or energized. But carving out just a few minutes a day, every day, for what you enjoy can make a big difference. In this episode and our free downloadable workbook, we share tips for figuring out which activities fuel you and how to make space for them.

Listen to the episode.

😄 Things We Text Each Other

From Gill: Melia sent this with the caption, “Poopalots for polyglots,” and I’m both very entertained and very grossed out that this exists.

😍 Stuff We Love Right Now

On Our Screens & In Our Ears  📺  🎧

From Melia: 

• Mastering the Inner Game
  I read this piece on W. Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis years ago and am finally listening to the audiobook. I don’t play tennis but would highly recommend his approach to life: quieting the overthinking, overexerting mind and letting the wisdom of the body lead the way, trusting yourself to learn and respond in any situation that arises. As someone who has a hard time letting go and doing less, this will be an ongoing practice for me!

From Gill: 

• Food, We Need to Talk
  WBUR's Food, We Need to Talk is a 10-part podcast series about creating a happier, healthier relationship with food. Hosts Juna Gjata – a 20-something who says restrictive eating has made her unhappy her entire adult life – and Dr. Eddie Phillips – founder of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine – combine science, common sense, and expert advice in each short episode, and I'm enjoying it and learning from it.
  

On Our Plates   🍽 

From Melia: 

• Cream Cheese & Raspberry King Cake 
  Mardi Gras is coming up on February 25, which means it’s king cake season. 😋 If you haven’t tasted this delightful dessert, it’s like a giant cinnamon roll covered in glaze and colored sugar and served by the slice. It comes in different flavors, from strawberry to praline, and I’ve never had a bad one. In past years I’ve made my own king cake in a bread machine, but since our bread machine has been on the blink, I tried making this cream cheese and raspberry variety. It was gloppy going into the oven but baked up deliciously.

From Gill: 

• Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
  A friend of a friend is now the recipes editor for the Washington Post (which in my mind means she is also now my friend). Her recipes so far have been delicious and approachable – and this easy weeknight beef and broccoli stir-fry is ideal for when you really want to order takeout.

If you like the Semi-Together podcast, why not share the pod with a friend who would enjoy it? You can also become a patron here.  

Until next time! 

Love,

Melia & Gill 😘😘

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